Report of man with a rifle leads to narcotics arrests

June 5, 2013

The report of a suspicious man, armed with a rifle, in the Saratoga Lake Park area Tuesday afternoon led to the arrest of three people, two on drug-related charges.

Upon arrival in the area of the park, 400 S.E. 4th Place, officers observed a man armed with what appeared to be a shotgun. The man, later identified as Richard Ball, 34, was holding the rifle and arguing with two women inside of a parked car, officials said.

According to release issued by the Cape Coral Police Department, officers ordered Ball to drop the weapon and he was detained. The gun was determined to be a realistic looking pellet gun. A safety pat down of Ball revealed narcotics in his possession. One of the women in the car, Mary Jones, 36, was attempting to conceal items as officers approached, the release states.

Jones and a second woman, Ashley Hoffrichter, 25, were detained. Jones was reportedly attempting to conceal a pill bottle in the interior of the car. Officers found 12 bottles of narcotics in the car; 213.3 grams of Hydrocodone and 125.9 grams of Alprazolam.

Mary Jones was arrested on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Trafficking an Opium Derivative, Providing a False Name to Law Enforcement and Driving while License Suspended.

Richard Ball was arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Ashley Hoffrichter was arrested and charged with an outstanding warrant.

All are in the Lee County Jail.

Officers have been paying close attention to the Saratoga Lake Park area after receiving complaints of various quality of life issues recently, officials said.

"A proactive and safe response to the scene, a street smart investigative approach to the situation, led to the arrest of the suspects and seizure of harmful narcotics, great job done by all involved," said Sgt. Carlos Mena in the prepared statement.